Something Better
by JoshuaSweetvale
Summary: Neon Genesis Evangelion is the story of Shinji Ikari's generation having to pay the price of the previous generation's folly. But in this 2015, Danny Phantom and his peers are adults too. On a slightly more sour note, Vlad Masters is SEELE 04. So Danny is cajoled into going on a spying trip to NERV. Of course, when Danny meets Shinji, things start changing.
1. 1 - Introductions

**Chapter 1: Introductions**

Daniel

Hi. My name's Daniel. I'm headed to Tokyo-3 for an old friend of mine. And when I say old, I mean _old_, and when I say _old_, I mean SEELE 04. He's sent me to the Japanese city of Tokyo-3 to keep an eye on NERV.

If those names make no sense to you, don't worry, my old friend only explained things to me recently and I tend to have a hard time remembering big fancy meaningless names like that anyway.

In layman's terms, there was a big apocalypse in the year 2000, an apocalypse which hit pretty close to home for me.

It's now 2015, people are trying to rebuild the world and SEELE, a.k.a. the real illuminati, have some projects set up in the corners of the world to help things along.

My old friend is one of these people who helps make the world go round, codename SEELE 04, and I'm going to Tokyo-3 for him.

Why's the city I'm going to called Tokyo-3? Because old Tokyo has been completely obliterated by the rising sea level and Tokyo-2 isn't the place where one of SEELE's projects, a megacorporation named NERV, is located.

I honestly don't have a clue what I'm walking into, only that I would be the right man in the right place in this case.

I do know that the apocalypse of 2000, the one that obliterated half the world's population and shifted the planet's axis, wasn't natural.

They're calling it Second Impact. First Impact would be the onset of life on Earth. Second Impact would be the end to that nice little era.

I would've called it overdramatized nonsense. Except I have first hand experience of people's souls being ripped out of their bodies during the event. It might have something to do with the unique geography of my town, but when people started dying, other stuff started happening.

I'm leaving out something big here, but what matters is that the bodies of the deceased turned into some sort of primordial soup. Ectoplasmic goo.

Whatever Second Impact was, it wasn't a meteorite impact, which is what the media would have you believe.

It was something spooky, something weird... something I know how to deal with, thankfully.

SEELE 04

At that same moment, online, during a SEELE virtual reality meeting, SEELE 01 turns to SEELE 04. An ominous, electronically warped voice sounds out from an illusory slab of obsidian bearing the number 01 in white.

"Um, 04, why are you sending a survivor from the Gomorrah incident to Tokyo-3? I hope you know what you're doing."

Sitting in the chair of his castle mansion, SEELE 04 tents his hands and smirks. "Don't worry, I trust my agent."

SEELE 04 turns to adress the assembled members of SEELE. All hidden behind black monolith slabs bearing their number. SEELE 04 would be the first to admit that it looked very cool.

"Ask yourself this: If you're supposed to know eeeverything," he draws out the syllable in mockery, "how come you still don't know what happened at Gomorrah?"

SEELE 01 does not reply, so the monolith of SEELE 02 pipes up. "Ahem, Vladimir, because nobody at Gomorrah actually talked about what happened at... oh wait, I understand, so you're telling us to trust in your agent's ability to keep a secret?"

SEELE 04 leans back into his chair. "Yes, Irene. I know what went on at Gomorrah, and I'm never telling you."

His lips curl into a vicious smile, unseen by the other members of SEELE but certainly heard in his voice.

"I can assure you, Daniel's the best person to keep tabs on NERV. The bond of secrecy we share makes him very loyal. And the money I've spent on SEELE's endeavours can vouch for my loyalties, can't it?"

"Yes, it certainly can..." SEELE 01 replies tersely. Gomorrah was a mystery to everyone but the people who survived. And 04 has been an enormous financial asset to SEELE. If only 04 stopped using their mortal names. It was starting to give 01 a nervous headache.

"Before I forget, Lorenz?" SEELE 04 says offhandedly, distorted voice twanging out the German name.

"Can we stop using the inaccurate biblical connotations? Sure, Gomorrah's pretty accurate for what happened to that town, especially taking into account what I know, but the melodrama is getting tiresome. I motion we give significant events a number code instead. Like our monoliths!"

"Noted, SEELE 04. Next issue." Inside his grand mansion, Lorenz Kihl, mortal identity of SEELE 01, taps out a text message for his butler while SEELE 03's voice drones through the teleconference. 'Another Paracetamol, Dashiell. Please hurry.'

Daniel

I'm going to Tokyo-3 by train at SEELE 04's request.

Started learning Japanese two years ago. Not actually because I wanted to visit Japan someday, but because I wanted to enjoy their cultural media...

Before Impact, Japan had a thriving entertainment industry. Anime cartoons. Manga comics. Not all of them were translated into English before the world exploded, so some good storytelling was locked behind a language barrier.

Of course my best friend's the nerdiest nerd in existence and just kept watching Anime when we were sharing an office a few years back.

It was easy, boring work, so the constant lights and sounds and "oh, did you see that?' got disruptive fast.

So like a sensible young man I packed away my notebooks and started watching the Anime with him. Which is how I got into Gundam, and then other stuff.

Was pretty cool, even inspired me a little. Inspired what? We'll get to that later, but it's pretty obvious there's more going on with me then meets the eye. 'Hero of Gomorrah'. Yep, that's me.

Anyway, I'm on a maglev train on the way to Tokyo-3, following my old pal SEELE 04's instructions. This train's on the way to pick up the Third Child, apparently.

No idea what that title means. Except that we're presumably dealing with a child and, this is a stretch, the third of three children. I know, right? Damn spy talk.

Sure enough, the train stops at a small town station, looks the same as half a dozen others we passed at top speed, only there's a single kid waiting at this one.

He looks about fourteen, a little scrawny. Reminds me of myself when I was his age. Black hair, thin, zoned out. He's asian, of course, while I'm white. White shirt, loose, black pants, suitcase.

When I was his age I was the most easily bored slacker in all of slackerdom. But when I look into this kid's eyes I see something else.

Now my parents, bless their graves, were wonderful people. Completely crazy, but wonderful people.

This kid's parents, I'm sorry, but they did something wrong. This kid looks anxious to get on the train, he's skittish... Hell, he looks downright scared of the people around him.

Still, something's bound to be up with a boy who has the real life Illuminati taking notice of him.

Better go up and say hi... In a few minutes, when he's settled in. Don't want to spook him.

Shinji

I've gotten a letter from my father. My estranged father. From what little my Uncle has told me about him, I know he is a very important man, involved with a company called NERV, which pretty much owns the city of Tokyo-3.

He has always lived far away and my uncle made his dislike for him clear enough. My father never once bothered to check up on me.

Why?

I don't know, but I _want_ to know. He's written me a letter now, but he's only written one word on it. "Come." So that's what I'm doing. I'm on my way to him, to Tokyo-3, with the train ticket that came with the letter and no idea what to expect.

The train pulls up to the station and I notice the first strange thing of the day. It's completely empty, apart from a single man sitting in the back. Could that man be my... nope, he's a foreigner. Dang.

Hesitantly, I get on the train. There's two possibilities here, as far as I can tell. One, the foreigner in the back and myself are the only people with tickets and my father ensured that it would be just me and the foreigner. Two, the train's just not very busy right now.

Or three, the train was meant to be only for me but the clumsy foreigner got on by accident.

No, the foreigner's eyeing me, and I look pretty average, so he's either a child molester or he's intrigued that I'm the one he's meeting on the train.

My imagination is not my friend today.

I sit down, try to calm down. The man might be giving me some space, he might be here on buisness or a tourist or he might be... Okay, that's enough of that.

Gotta look outside, at the trees and fields flashing by.

A few minutes later, I hear the back door of the carriage open.

"You the Third Child?" The foreigner asks me, though says keeps the word "Third Child" in a very american English accent.

I'm pretty sure he's talking to me, because there's nobody else on the train he can be adressing, so I turn toward him. He looks like your average white guy. Not exactly fat, maybe a bit tall... Though what he's wearing is a little garish. He's wearing a black sleeveless jacket over a venom green T-shirt. White pants. Hm, I chuckle lightly. Kind of like a color inverted version of what I'm wearing.

I suddenly realize I left the man's questiong hanging way too long, and look away, embarassed. "I don't know what a Third Child is. What do you mean?" I ask sheepishly.

The man steps into the carriage and sits down in the seat across from. "Ah." He mutters. I've been told to meet up with the "Third Child" by... eh, an old friend I guess. I don't really know anything else, just that the Third would be on this train."

The stranger looks out the window, he seems a little flustered. "I guess nobody told you anything yet?" he asks. "Sorry for the spy speak... To be honest, I don't know what it means either."

I hazard a glance toward the stranger. "It's okay." For a westerner, he speaks decent Japanese...

The stranger raises his eyebrows, probably noticing me staring at him, being all thoughtful and somber. "Is my Japanese alright?" He asks, eyebrows furrowed, a little embarassed.

I nod. "Yes, it's great." Hesitantly, I look up at my fellow passenger. Why's he smiling at me like that?

"Um..." he starts. "I don't know if this is a culture thing... But don't be shy, alright?" The man says in a kind voice, with a smile on his face that betrays far more amusement at the situation then is appropriate.

I all but sink away into my chair, but I can't help but glower at the man in front of me. Calling a shy person out for their shyness? Yes, that's_ sure_ to work._ Definitely_ won't aggravate the problem at all...

A nervous chuckle on his part later and he mutters a "sorry...".

I can't help but chuckle a little myself. This strange, _strange _stranger, whoever he is, seems to have a good sense of humour.

As for his looks, he's got black hair and a small beard that accentuates the chin... Pretty boy looks and icy blue eyes.

My mind wonders to the woman in the picture, the woman who is my contact for NERV at at Tokyo-3. She would certainly love this guy.

Ehehe, the picture... Of a woman with deep black, almost purple hair, blowing a kiss at the camera. Her red paramilitary jacket and beret are all but drowned out by the not-so-subtle focus the photograph puts on h-...

"You're blushing!" The stranger suddenly exclaims.

This, of course, causes me to blush harder. "Er, it's nothing, honest!" I look away, trying my best to make the trees rushing past outside more interesting then the stranger in the train with me.

I can _feel_ him raise his eyebrow. Damn stranger. What was his name anyway?

"I'll tell you what I was thinking of if we have introductions afterward!" I squeak out.

He chuckles. "How about introductions first, shy guy?" I recoil slightly at the all too accurate discription. But he wants introductions! Okay then! "I'm Shinji Ikari!" I say a little too entheusiastically.

The man chuckles lightly. "My name's Daniel Fenton." He holds out his hand. I take it and we shake on it.

We pass under a bridge and I could swear I could see Daniel's eyes glint with a green light in the darkness.

"Shinji, I think you are the Third Child I was sent to tag along with." Daniel says after we pass out of the tunnel. "And I think..." He turns away, toward Tokyo-3, which is becoming visible in the distance. "...I think we need to compare notes... That is: You tell me what you know, I tell you what I know, and we'll each be a little bit more prepared at what's coming up."

An interesting idea. "Alright..." I reply hesitantly.

A moment of quiet. Daniel looks at me quizically...

Oh, he wants me to start. ...Okay...

"Um, my father has written me a letter to come to Tokyo-3. He works at NERV." I clear my throat. "High up at NERV."

Everyone knows NERV: The biotech megacorporation that provides pretty much all of the work and most of the money for the city of Tokyo-3. Second Impact has wrought merry hell on the world, especially the biosphere. NERV has successfully stabilized not only Japan's biosphere, but many others across the globe, earning them the love of practically everyone.

And that's not all. "I've got a picture of my-_ our_ contact, to use spy speak..." I smile at Daniel, who grins back. Yes, he got the joke!

I fish the picture of Captain Katsuragi out of my pocket. "For a paramilitary, she seems a little odd, though..."

Daniel flashes a crooked smirk. "Well I'm guessing that's why she's _para_military and not just regular military, right?"

" S'pose so..." I mumble, and hand Daniel the picture...

And his grin is immedeately wiped off his face, replaced by a scowl. "Misato Katsuragi... With a kiss, how cute." He mumbles in english, but the venomous tone is unmistakeable.

He hands the picture back at me, mumbling something inaudible. It's his turn to clear his throat. "Ahem... eh..." He sweatdrops. "That's not the way to greet a teenager, no offense. You're what, fifteen?"

"Fourteen." I smile back awkwardly, scratching the back of my head somewhat theatrically. "It is a little weird, yeah. But she seems fun..."

Daniel nods slowly, apparently thinking. "You're missing my point, Shinji." He mumbles, but he sounds a little distant.

A moment later, he leans forward conspiratorically. I happily mimic my new friend.

"Why is your father sending _her_ to greet you? I mean, I'm assuming he's the one who arranged your escort, and he's the one who sent you the picture, right?"

I manage a halting nod while my mind mulls over Daniel's insinuation. Is my father sending the..._ eccentric_ member of staff on purpose? And then I remember the letter. Or his sorry excuse for a letter. Suspicion and confusion boil over into worry. Is my father, who I have not seen in so long, messing with me?

Fear compels me to pull my father's letter out of my pocket. I look back up at Danny, who's got a really concerned look in his eyes, like he's worried for me.

"Have a look at this.. This is the 'letter' he sent me." I say hollowly, adding as much sarcasm as I can to the offending word.

Daniel furrows his brow at the letter. Then at me. Um... Why does he look so worried?

"Yeah, that's not a normal way to greet your kid, Shinji." He confirms, before handing back the letter.

"Hope I got your name right?" Daniel says suddenly. "Yeah, you got it in one, don't worry, you're doing fine." We both let out a chuckle. A little breathing room.

I suddenly realize Daniel just broke the ice, probably on purpose on some level. I never understood that idiom... But now we can both chuckle at eachother and _breathe_.

Talking with someone hasn't been this... liveable, I guess... in... forever. We're being friendly, we're being honest, and I don't feel at all as as nervous or embarassed as I normally would! I'm not gonna think 'yay, he likes me' because that would be stupid, but that's pretty much where I'm going here. This is like a breath of fresh air.

"Um, why are you squeeing at me?" Daniel says, somewhat apprehensively, breaking my thought bubble. "What's squeeing?" I ask back.

He shakes his head, dismissing the earlier question. "Never mind, not important. But yeah, Shinji. ...Something is going on with you." He sticks a finger in the air and points at me. "And your dad. And this whole thing." Finger waggles in a circle. "An old friend has sent me over to Tokyo-3 and like your father, he's one of the most important people in the world."

"How important?" I blurt out without thinking.

Daniel sucks his teeth with a hiss in reply. The universal sign for both 'I just hit my toe on the table leg oh god it hurts' and 'that's a really awkward one to answer'.

"Oh." I stammer.

"Yeeeah..." Daniel mumbles in reply. "I don't like it either, but my experience (and I have a lot of that) tells me that there's something weird going on, so I'm gonna do what he wanted and keep an eye on things."

I nod, seeing that the train's coming out of the mountains already. Time flies when you're talking. "We'll see, I suppose. If you're around NERV..." Can't bear to finish that sentence with a request.

Daniel chuckles at me, laughing at my reluctance. "I'm obviously gonna stay in touch, Shinji." Yay!

"As I just explained, you're pretty central to my mission statement!" he says with a big grin.

Oh, right. My face almost falls, but I quickly look to the side. I almost forgot. He's an _agent person_.

Unnoticed, Daniel rolls his eyes and whispers a sarcastic "real smooth" to himself in English.

"Yo, Shinji?" Daniel's voice sounds very commanding, but also a little worried right now. The way my uncle always sounded when he talked to me. Gah... Tingle up the spine...

"I like talking with you, okay?" Daniel raises an eyebrow, smiles a little...

"Yeah, okay." I nod a little in thanks. "Seems we're here." I incline my head toward the onrushing platform encapsulated by metal and concrete.


	2. 2 - Inklings of doom

**Chapter 2: Inklings of doom.**

Shinji

There's nobody on the train platform. Nobody whatsoever to be seen on the street either.

In a Japanese metropolis.

This... this is not right. I glance over to Daniel. He nods at me, frown on his face confirming he's thinking the same thing.

We slowly, tenatively shuffle out of the train carriage.

"Weird, she was supposed to meet me at the platform..." I mumble out loud, sort of forgetting the foreigner carrying my suitcase while I look over the picture Captain Katsuragi sent me.

No, not in that way, Shinji, stop that! The onset of adulthood has its moments, but the constant _distractions_ are embarassing.

"Whatever's got everyone off the streets probably delayed her at the very least." Daniel replies from a few feet away, shaking me out of my thoughts. I mumble a "Yeah..." in agreement.

My eyes fall upon a payphone. I glance at my adult companion. "Got a cell phone?"

Daniel's eyes snap wide open in realization and his hand plunges into his pocket. "Yesss... I do!" He shouts triumphantly, pulling a strange blocky grey and green little jalopy out of his pocket like it's excalibur. I look up into his eyes. I'm extremely skeptical, Daniel, and I hope it shows. What you are holding is not, nor will it ever be, a phone.

He blushes, scratches the back of his head. "Er, I know it looks a little... _homebrew_, but this is a post-impact world! Cut corners where you can, right?"

"Um, sure, sorry..." I say tenatively. Maybe it's a spy thing, I concede. "So, eh..." Back to the point. "Can you call this number?" I hold up the phone number the beautiful Captain Katsuragi has sent me.

Daniel presses the phone... nothing happens. He glares at the device. "No signal." I could hear the annoyance rise in his voice. "Now I know what you're thinking Shinji, but this phone's actually absurdly reliable. If it's getting no signal, then there's no signal to be had."

"Maybe it has something to do with the missing people?" I ask noncommittally while setting off down the train platform stairs toward the pay phone and its land line.

I hear the sound of air freezing behind me. When I look back, I see Daniel breathe out a cold breath, almost like we're on a mountaintop or in winter. No such thing as winter in Japan these days, but still. His eyes go wide, followed by a flash of abject panic which he quickly hides.

"Um... what.. was that? With the breath?" I ask Daniel, extremely worried. He doesn't seem to hear me. In fact, he doesn't seem to be moving at all, so I step closer. His eyes are fixed on his phone.

I hear him whisper. "Ninety. Hundred-and-five..." In English, no less. A readout, I suppose.

And this is where I start to get scared as well.

"Hundred-and-SEVENTY? WHAT?" Daniel shouts at the phone. Incredulity mixing in with fear.

"What... _what_ are you talking about?" I ask him.

Daniel shakes his head, almost as if to shake himself out of a waking nightmare.

"That much..." He all but whispers. "There's somethi-"

And then we hear what later turns out to be a footstep, loud as an explosion.

And we feel it rumbling up our leg bones, up our spines and rattling our teeth.

We glance at eachother. "We need to get out of here, _right now_!" Daniel shouts and I can't agree more.

My eyes flit from one side of the train station to the other, out onto the street, on the other side of...

And then I see a girl. A pale, skinny girl with blue hair. Not grandma-blue-haired but blue color pallette _baby blue_ hair! And blood red eyes... In a schoolgirl outfit. "What...?" I stammer.

Another belch of frosty breath rolls out of Daniel's mouth. He tries to follow my gaze, and when I follow _his_ gaze I realize whoever that girl standing across the street was, she has somehow vanished.

I hear Daniel's teeth grit and he grumbles in English "Okay, _that _does it! I'm going Gh-... Huh?!" We hear the screeching of tires and a blue sports car comes careening around the corner, tires wailing. It jolts to a stop in front of the train station.

" -or not, I suppose." Daniel says to no-one in particulair, grinning ear to ear.

We see the woman driving the car. It's Captain Misato Katsuragi, the woman from the picture. "Quick, get in!" she shouts. We run for it. She throws Daniel a confused glance, but when he all but leaps into the back seat with dread on his face, she shrugs and hits the gas.

"Okay, we'll figure you out when we're safe I suppose..." she half-shouts at Danny while keeping her eyes on the road.

So of course, I ask the one question you should never ask in a situation like this: "Safe from what?" Even as the words come out of my mouth, I curse at myself because I already know what's about to happen.

Misato's car turns a corner and we see it. The Angel Sachiel. Four times as tall as the apartment buildings surrounding it, it looks like a gaunt humanoid with one hell of a pair of shoulders.

The creature has a greenish black hide out of which bony shoulderpads, elbow spikes and what looks like a ribcage extend. The ribcage seems to contain the heart of the creature, a glowing red gem that looks fartoo large to even be real. It has a weird jester-crow mask on its head. A featureless white circle exept for big black eyeholes and a beak-like thing that extends down.

I must reiterate that this monster is... what, a hundred meters tall? Taller? I honestly can't tell, it's way too big for me to even guess. What I do know is that its foot is bigger then Captain Katsuragi's car.

I'm able to compare because it's bringing its foot down on us. I see Misato try to swerve out of the way, but time seems to slow. We're not gonna make it. Is it because we dawdled at the train station? Is it because there's three people in the car instead of two?

...At least the good Captain looks even better then in the picture, heh.

The big monster's foot slams down on us and the shadow extends over the car. I can feel the car entering into a skid, with Misato doing everything she can to evade this... this _kaiju's_ foot...

I can also vaguely hear Daniel mumble "please don't be immune please don't be immune please don't be immune" in the back seat.

Wait, _what_?

Misato's got her eyes closed and one arm around my waist. I feel something airy and cold ripple through my body just as Sachiel stomps down on Misato's precious car.

To everyone's suprise (including the kaiju, I presume), we go right through Sachiel's foot and reappear out the other side as if nothing had happened.

Misato suddenly notices she isn't dead yet. Her eyes snap open, she overcorrects her steering and we almost fly of the road. She bounces her car off the side railing and manages to get it going straight down the road. _That_... was close.

I glance at Daniel who, for once, isn't looking at me. He's turned around, looking out the back window, trailing the gigantic form of the kaiju. "Vlad, what the fuck have you gotten me into..." I hear him mumble under his breath.

Please realize just how scared I feel right now. If you've ever seen an elephant, you know what it's like to be dwarfed. Now imagine an elephant the size of a large tower block. Okay, now make it three times wider, four times higher, and creepy as fuck, pardon the expletive.

Welcome to what we're speeding away form in an admittedly pretty nippy car. The kaiju is blotting out the sun, for goodness's sake! I'm panicking, though I'm allowed to panic! I'm still a teenager and about to get squished!

Thankfully, the adults are handling things more maturely. Misato's phone rings. In my huddled position, I can only barely see Daniel pick it out of her pocket. He holds it up to his ear.

The monster roars, a deep sound, almost like one of those action film trailer rumbles. I can only hear half the conversation thanks to the bass drone. "-an't quite understa-" Bwooooooooooooooaaaaarrr! "-'re saying." Daniel turns to Misato and shouts at her over Sachiel's bellow: "Ehm, Captain, what's an N2 mine?"

Captain Katsuragi's head swivels in Daniel's direction. She_ stares_ at the phone, mouthing something I can't quite make out. Her eyes dart to Daniel. "It's a bomb." She hisses.

"Not a normal bomb, I'd wager?" Danny deadpans in reply. Of course, it's an N2 mine. Explosives are kind of implied.

Misato has her eyes focused on the road again. "All the blast doors are closed..." She replies, as if it were a direct answer.

But Daniel seems to understand. He swallows hard and puts a hand on Misato's shoulder.

"It would be nice if luck struck twice..." He says quietly... "And we'd just _happen_ to be able to drive through a closed door, right, Captain?" Daniel stares self-assuredly at Misato and Misato in turn stares back with an expression of incredulousness...

She turns back to driving and her expression switches to one of mad-eyed. At the same moment as she stomps her foot down on the gas pedal, a heli-jet explodes. The gunship, one of many, has been shot out of the sky and obliterated by a beam of pink light launched from the kaiju's hand.

I'm curled up in my seat, holding onto Misato as much as she's holding on to me. So I don't catch Daniel _recognizing_ the pink energy beam.

I'm thrown into the passenger door when Misato makes a high-speed turn toward the nearest armored door marked 'Geofront'. From the grunt of pain I hear behind me, Daniel has also tumbled into the side door.

And now we're careening at lose-your-license speeds toward a closed armored door. Misato is steering us into a head-on collision! But sure enough, I again feel that cold ripple of floaty energy and we simply pass through the door like it isn't even there. Like we're not even there.

We get through, and the cold feeling dissipates. A bone-rattling blast follows, muffled by the armored door. Obviously the N2 bomb. That... was a _big _boom.

I hope the defense force managed to kill the kaiju.

Okay, wait. Is Daniel the one making stuff intangible? And what the hell was that monster? Why is this NERV officer coming to pick me up during this... this monster movie! And what does my father ha-_... oh wow_.

My train of thought is cut off when we roll down the underground highway and Daniel and I get our first look at the gargantuan cavern underneath Tokyo-3. Buildings suspended from the ceiling to keep them safe from the battle above. An underground lake surrounded by meadows and woodland... Mirrors to let in the light, obviously not active during seige... and a great big metal pyramid at the heart of it all.

"Wow..."I stammer, the beautiful view coaxing me of my panic-induced shutdown. "This is a Geofront!" I suddenly exclaim!

"Yup." Misato answers, smiling triumphantly.

Daniel's eyebrows twitch in confusion. He raises up his hand. "Er, question. What's a Geofront?"


	3. 3 - Geofront!

**Chapter 3: Geofront!**

Daniel

Well, it's a valid question!

I'm faced with confused stares from both Shinji and Misato. "Oh, right, foreigner..." Misato mumbles. I look out the window, not sure whether to be offended or embarassed. Misato's sports car is driving through a tunnel and into what looks like a parking garage. "Shinji, would you care to explain the Geofronts to the nice hot gentleman?"

Shinji nods at me, before doing a double take when he registers the back end of Misato's sentence. "...Aaanyway." He blushes, Misato giggling beside him. "We all learn this in school, and it's been all over the news in Japan recently: Geofronts are like space colonies built into the ground. Ecological fortresses, in case things deteriorate even further. We're building them under Tokyo-2 and Kyoto-2... but I never realized..."

Shinji turns around and looks out the back of the tunnel. I admit, it's pretty impressive to build something as big as this 'Geofront'. Especially while keeping the nation and the world at large ignorant of what you've dug out. I mean, I've been living under a rock for a while, but Shinji's reaction indicates to me that this here megaproject isn't exactly common knowledge.

"I'm guessing you're keeping this Geofront under wraps?" I ask Misato as she parks her dented car. She glances sidelong at me. "NERV discourages employees from blabbing about our little basement, yeah." We walk toward a futurisic looking metal door, and Misato chuckles darkly, before adding: "It helps that the government and the news don't ever talk about the Tokyo-3 Geofront." A theatrical cough. "Ever."

Alright, alright, hint taken. So the Geofront's hidden through company policy and subtle manipulation of the populace. And the suprising part is that it seems to be working... SEELE really seems to know what they're doing, being able censor the Geofront's existence from... well, everyone. Vlad, you vampiric bastard, you do know how to pick your friends, don't you?

NERV Japan. A mass of labyrinthine tunnels under Tokyo-3. If I didn't know any better I'd start thinking that even our guide, the lovely Captain Katsuragi, has gotten lost. this place almost feels like it was _designed_ to disorient intruders. No colored arrows on the ground, no wall maps, not even any emergency exit signs...

I look down at Shinji, who seems to have picked the exact same moment to glance up at me as well. He visibly shivers when he realizes I'm already looking at him. Poor kid. Nerves are understandable I guess... Oh god, pun not intended, honest!

My pained chuckle seems to distract Shinji enough for him to quietly ask me: "That thing back there, was that you?"

Of course, I know what he means by that. "It wasn't me, and if it wasn't you either it must've been Misato, but don't worry, there's probably a lot of airflow in these tunnels, so you'll stop smelling it in a few seconds."

...Shinji looks confused for a moment, before his face scrunches up in disgust. "That is NOT what I meant!" I chuckle at his adorable reaction, but decide to cut him some slack. "I'm avoiding the question 'cuz I need to get my bearings first, Shinji." He nods, reluctantly, but he nods. I smile at him, thankful. This seems to pick him up a little and he stops staring a the corrugated metal floor.

I glance around, then turn to adress Shinji again. "By the way dude, have you noticed... this is the fourth left turn we've taken in five corridors?"

Unseen by Shinji or myself, Misato frowns at my remark. "I think I still know where I'm going, honest!" she half-shouts at me.

At that exact moment, an elevator door dings open a few meters behind us and a woman steps out. Bleached blond hair and wearing, of all things, a spandex diving suit under a lab coat. Her outfit looks like something my dearly departed mom would wear, but the woman's head tells a different story. My mother was pretty expressive. Hyper, even. This woman looks way too reserved and annoyed with our Captain Misato to summon any warm feelings from me.

Which brings us to..."Ritsuko... ehehe... Come to get me? Thanks, I suppose..." Misato mumbles, flustered. Misato, Shinji and I turn around and file into the elevator. Ritsuko barely acknowledges me. She looks up from her notepad (computer, not actual paper) and measures me up in that clinical, cold way... ack... then dismisses me just as easily.

Her gaze then fixes on Shinji. She bends down to adress him. "You must be the Third Child? I'm sorry about the... _circumstances_." She spits out the word. "But you need to help us, right now."

Shinji seems nailed to the ground, and I can't blame him. This Ritsuko character is being way too blunt. She's either pushing his buttons on purpose or not very good with kids. Though I guess only people who aren't very good with kids would even try to 'push their buttons'.

And then there's the whole issue of asking a fourteen-year-old to 'help' them. And the pleading tone with which Ritsuko asked that...

I cough loudly. " S'cuse me, but, ehm, what are you expecting the Third Child, Shinji Ikari, to do for you?" I ask, already suspecting a few things.

Didn't expect Ritsuko to glower at me quite that intensely, though. "That's classified." She snaps. Ouch.

But now Misato's the one who coughs loudly. "We have to tell Shinji sometime, unless you want to throw him into the plug without telling him anything?"

Ritsuko's guilty glance sideways and stunned silence confirms both Misato's suspicions and my own. And the words 'throw' 'into' and 'plug' all but confirm Shinji is not just the boss's kid, but a strategic asset of some kind, component of some mad science plan or other.

To my relief, Misato crouches down to a panicked Shinji's eye level. "We... eh... we really do need you to help us, Shinji." She admits, genuine regret in her voice. "There's something only you can do, stupid as it is." She throws a glare at Ritsuko, who seems to ignore the jab. "The monster, the Angel we saw? It's not dead yet. You need to go out there and kill it."

Of course it would be something like this. Why are we teenagers always the ones to bear stupidly huge burdens like this? Lord knows we're not fit for it emotionally, as I know very well from experience. Why does this cliché nonsense never happen to adults?

Oh, because that would actually be sensible, wouldn't it? Wouldn't be any fun. Well too bad, universe. I'm a grown-up now, I've got my foot in the door this time, and when push comes to shove, I'll have Shinji's back. Fuck the consequences to Vlad's plan. I almost pity Shinji's eventual enemies. They won't be expecting to face a veteran.

My dark amusement doesn't really alleviate my apprehension for Shinji, though. Nor does it do anything to quell my rage toward Ritsuko and, to a lesser extent, the rest of NERV. It's just wrong for adults to put a kid into a position like this... The damn cliché only works because it shows the need is so dire. That and because it's a teenage power fantasy.

The elevator is almost at its destination, few more floors. I could press the emergency stop, give Shinji more time to calm down, maybe even give him a chance to bow out of this whole circus.

I decide not to, however. Whatever woes it has caused me, my past has made me stronger in more ways then one, and I'm not gonna deny Shinji the chance to be the hero. Hell, looking at that giant monster... I might just be out of my league here, so young Ikari might just have to save_my_ ass too.

Yeah.. the last fifteen minutes have shown me enough about Captain Misato Katsuragi to know that when she says 'we need Shinji Ikari to kill that giant monster' she's dead serious. So pressing the emergency stop now would only mean dragging out the situation even more and increasing the carnage in the city above.

...Wait, back up a sec, did she say _Angel_? "Wait, back up a sec, did you just call that Kaiju an Angel!?" I shout incredulously. "As in, biblical ambassadors of _GOD_?"

With my mind on the topic, I suddenly spot the cross on Misato's neck. It's not quite the sign of crucifixion. Looks more like a plus sign... Misato seems to notice my eyes on her pendant and huffs at me, apparently more then a little frustrated with my shenanigans.

Fate manages to throw me a bone: the elevator doors open. Risuko leads Shinji out and into another steel-and-concrete hallway. We follow, Misato's swishing, angry stride next to my angry stomping legs. ...Bit of my dad in me after all, I guess.

"Quick theology lesson, new guy." Misato hisses at me as we walk biskly through the corridor. "Angels as discribed in Abrahamic scripture are completely amoral. They serve God and only God. To a biblical Angel, human lives don't matter!"

I seem to have struck a nerve. Once again, no pun intended. "They have no free will, no empathy. They would obliterate entire cities if that was their duty, and in the Old Testament, that's exactly what they did.

I swallow hard. Her rant makes sense, in an internally consistent sort of way.

"And most of all," she continues, "They weren't just bishonen with wings. Angels, as described in everything from ancient Jewish texts to Revelations to Dante looked absolutely montrous. Wheels within wheels, on fire, with eyes where they shouldn't be... Covered in wings so as not to break the mind of the mere mortal looking at them. Where do you think Lovecraft got his inspiration for Cthulhu the other Old Ones?"

"Squid..." I mutter, putting on the yiddish affectation of Futurama's Zoidberg.

This seems to momentarily stun Misato... And then she bursts out laughing. I, however, am frowning, deep in thought. She has a point, I guess, but it's... it's just weird, I suppose. Especially coming from a language where "Angel" is a synonym for kindness.

There's probably a deeper reason behind this naming scheme, but it'll have to wait. For now I just raise an amused eyebrow at Misato, who grins back at me. "Did not expect you to know that series, though I suppose I'm the odd one for watching Fox..." I just shrug and grin while we file through the door behind the scientist and the Child. "Thought we needed some levity..."

Which, of course, is when Shinji cuts in. "Speaking of..." He starts, voice small. "How am I, a young boy, supposed to kill a god, or whatever passes for one? Captain Katsuragi, you're a trained soldier and I'm a confused kid. Why do I have to do this and not... well, you.?"

Ritsuko frowns at Shinji. From what I can tell, she doesn't understand that he has every right to ask these questions, to be upset. This is a young man trying to make sense of absolute nonsense. And all Ritsuko and probably Misato see is a contrarian teenager.

The only reason I didn't react the same way when I was in his shoes fifteen years ago is because my parents were a little crazy, as I've said before, and I've kinda inherited that trait. I wasn't pushed into things by any adults, but I didn't exactly trust them to help me out either So I was on my own, with all the pressure of the world on my should-

Scratch that. I... had friends. And now is the time to remind Shinji he has friends too.

But Misato, despite being a warrior spirit like myself, seems to lack the insight I've got at the moment. I can see her temper rise. Shinji's reluctance doesn't seem to be going over well with her. "You _can_ do this!" she shouts back at him pleadingly. "Trust me, if I could, I'd be the one out there beating the Angel to death, but that pleasure falls to-"

My hand on Misato's shoulder. She stops talking. I whisper into her ear. "Stop. This isn't helping. He doesn't realize what you're asking of him, and you're just piling on the pressure. Let me try and get him to understand."

Misato's passion to kill the bad guy is completely understandable. And as someone who's been in dozens of knock-down drag-out near-death anything goes fights . God knows I love it. Maybe a bit too much.

I've killed a few, er, 'people'. Mostly after the Gomorrah incident. And after a while, you start assuming everyone else shares your zealotry. ...When I made that mistake, I got a slap and then a kiss. That wakeup slap was the worst moment of my life so far, kiss notwithstanding.

I turn Misato toward me. "I share your..." Roll my eyes... "Your passion in this, but Shinji's just a kid. He's never seen... He doesn't get it yet. Soft touch for now, please!"

Silently, Misato nods...

But Ritsuko and Shinji have already walked out through a door marked with a zillion warning symbols. Misato and I sprint after them. A chill goes up my spine and I breathe out a puff of cold air. "Oh no..." I whisper. I can feel something horrible in the next room, something which goes straight into the reptile brain.

Misato and I rush in just after Shinji, just as Ritsuko switches on the lights and Shinji comes face to face with destiny. Misato and I freeze in the doorway. She's seen Unit 01 before, but seeing it appear out of the black as the lights flick on is quite the thing. As for me... The Prototype Evangelion has quite literally taken my breath away.

A lipless grimace of metal teeth and red glowing eyes under yellow plateglass are suddenly illuminated. It's huge. Abso-freaking-lutely_ huge_. The size of... of... the same size as the Angel outside. It has a big metal horn sticking out of its helmet-armor...

And it's _purple_. Musn't forget the use of bold primary colors. Venomous green and warm yellow accentuate lots of deep purple armor. Yeah, I'm trying to laugh, but it's not really working.

Ritsuko points toward the metal-clad giant. "This is what your father and all of NERV have been working on. The artificial human, Evangelion!" I decide not to comment on the fact that she didn't say robot, but artifical human. I've earned my own scientist stripes, so I do indeed catch the horrifying biotech connotations of those words, especially in relation to my paranormal senses going off.

Looking at the... the Evangelion, Unit 01 apparently, as is stenciled onto its shoulderpad, makes me doubt for a moment whether or not I'm standing around a bunch of bad guys here.

Then the ceiling shakes and an I-beam clangs off the Evangelion's shoulderpad. The Angel is the bigger threat right now, but as soon as it's dead, I am so finding out every last one of this place's creepy secrets.

Speaking of... It bears mentioning that I can sense the Evangelion's unholy power in the air around us. The way the energy radiates from the Evangelion and chokes out the air around it, it's like I'm standing in front of a campfire. A fucking creepy campfire made of icicles and snot. It's not just a big purple robot. It's most definitely alive. Or, well, undead.

Damn, that's _exactly it_. It's a corporeal undead. This... this is new. I take a step back and try to stay calm.

Misato and Shinji turn to eachother, oblivious to my little psychic crisis. "I can't pilot the Evangelion. You need to do it," she says to him.

Shinji's reply is a stammer. "But why? Wh-"

Ritsuko moves toward Shinji to try and express the urgency of the situation, but she is beaten to the punch by the Angel Sachiel, whose thrashing again shakes the roof of the Geofront, conveniently interrupting her and shocking me out of my reverie.

"Shinji!" I shout before Ritsuko has a chance to. "You need to do this. The good Captain here wouldn't lie to you and we can get our answers later. I know this is weird, kid. Under normal circumstances, I'd drag you out of this madhouse by the scruff of your neck, but..."

I suck my teeth. "We don't really have a choice here, so we might as well go all out Of course, I'm more like Misato, all bloodlust and passion... But for some stupid reason, you are the person, beside_ maybe_ me who is in the position to save the day right now! We're in a city filled with-"

A loud whistle rings out from above and I see a man wearing orange-tinted glasses looking down on us from an elevated platform. Misato, Ritsuko, the technicians on the boardwalks inspecting the Evangelion all just... stop. Shinji's gaze turns up toward the man and I see the poor kid's muscles tense up.

The dude on the platform is wearing a robe. A genuine wizard's robe, draped around his shoulders, with a Steve Jobs ensemble underneath. He looks middle-aged, way too much like Shinji to be a coincidence and he has a creepy beard. Yeah, this has to be Gendo Ikari.

A thought flashes through my head and I cringe. This guy reminds me way too much of Vlad. So now there's one for Shinji, and one for me.

...This is going to end badly.

"Shinji." The man drawls, almost casually. "Will you pilot the Evangelion?"

A quick glare down at me manages to suprise me enough to take my voice away.

Shinji doesn't seem to react to the question. He looks at me, at Misato... at Ritsuko... at the giant behemoth's face in front of him. He looks a little scared, but I can't really read anything else from his face. Whatever is going on in his head, my young buddy looks to all the world like he's at peace. "I..." He turns toward his father. He straightens out his back and balls his fist. "Fine!" he spits out.

Gendo Ikari leaves, his heavy presence lifts and people get to work again. Ritsuko lifts her tablet and starts typing, presumably preparing Unit 01 for its pilot. With the tension gone, Shinji's shoulders sag and he sighs deeply.

I feel for the kid.

He turns around toward us. "You, both of you." he says hollowly, indicating Misato and I. "Please promise me that this will make sense tomorrow."

I nod, smiling sadly. "Can't give you a hunred percent on that, but I promise we'll know more tomorrow. I'll get you all the answers you want by next week."

Misato thankfully seems to ignore my flagrant 'I'm gonna be spying on NERV' statement, instead stepping forward and hugging Shinji. "Thank you..." She sighs into his ear.

As she stands up and walks past me, Misato throws me a thankful, but melancholy smile. She follows Ritsuko and a silent Shinji out toward the changing room. I move to follow as well, but the voice of Gendo Ikari suddenly kicks me in the back. "Foreigner. My office, now."

That wasn't a request. Shinji makes a half turn toward me and just stares expressionlessly. ...What a choice. The poor kid is barely able to scrape the courage to take his problems one thing at a time, with me explicitly at his back... And now this.

So this is my choice. Either abandon the poor kid to his first battle or disobey and cause a riot already, most likely keeping Shinji from saving the city. Shit. Well, at least he's got Misato to keep him company. And now that you mention it, Gendo Ikari, I think we have a few things to say to eachother.

I shrug theatrically and say, slightly louder then needed. "See you tomorrow Shinji, I promise!"

I immedeately turn and look up at Gendo, matching his doom glare with my own. Heard that, Commander Ikari? I_ promise_.

Personally, I have no real reason to be afraid of Gendo Ikari. But he reminds me of Valerie, of Vlad. If he's willing to neglect Shinji to the extent I've been party to in the last few hours, then daddy-approval-charm him into risking his life, the man's got icewater in his veins.

And those are exactly the kind of people that will end up being the death of me one day.

I literally can't think the way sociopaths of that stripe think. Even at my darkest, I'm way too impulsive and emotional. Fire rather then ice. In that, Commander Ikari has me beat, I suppose. Thankfully, I'm the only one in this staring contest with supernatural powers.

Or at least I hope so. Hell of a last thought to have as I am marched toward Ikari's office by armed guards while Shinji puts on his plugsuit for the first time.


	4. 4 - Lies, damned lies and ballistics

**Chapter 4: Lies, damned lies and ballistics**

Danny

For those of you who are new to Tokyo-3, a plugsuit is basically a scuba suit. It's an extremely high-tech layering of synthetic rubbers and polymers. It functions as a pilot suit, leather body armor. It's both an insulant and an electrical conductor where appropriate.

It's also form-fitting, to the extent that it's skintight. Keep this in mind when imagining certain female factors who are yet to be introduced wearing their plugsuits.

Plugsuits also come with hair clips. Electrically conductive, very useful to Evangelion piloting, but not very flattering to the male form, especially for a kid like Shinji, who hasn't had much access to testosterone yet, and so doesn't have much muscle to fill up his slight frame.

'Course, I'm not witnessing Shinji struggling to put on the plugsuit right now, because I'm stuck in Gendo Ikari's office, waiting for him to come talk to me.

The Commander's office is quite the place. The ceiling and floor are covered in ornate artistry. It looks like a religious tree thing. I'll have to ask Tucker about what it means as soon as this day is over. It's a miracle you can even see the beautiful art, though. The place is poorly lit, most likely on purpose as an intimidation tactic.

Gendo Ikari himself isn't here yet. I'm assuming he's out watching his son fight the... Angel in that giant purple abomination, the Evangelion. Just thinking about the sheer _presence_ that thing exuded gives me the shivers all over again.

I suppress a shudder and have another look around. Hm, Ikari has a big desk with a big chair. The 'purposefully intimidating office' hypothesis is gaining credence by the minute. I'm starting to suspect that keeping me waiting is part of that package too.

I look up and to the side at the man standing in waiting next to Ikari's desk. He smiles back with a hint of apology. "You're Ikari's second?" I ask. The question echoes a little in the dark, musty office.

The man turns away from the window and looks at me. He's got grey, slicked back hair and a big nose. A quiet smile, he nods. "And you? Who are you?" he asks me. I think on that for a moment. What am I to him? And exactly how honest do I want to be?

Something clicks and I chuckle darkly. This guy is playing good cop to Ikari's bad cop... Er, or some permutation thereof anyway. Takes one hell of a bad cop to get inside your head without even being there. Damn bastard... I'm very happy to have supernatural powers right now.

Okay, right. I'm gonna tell this guy what Vlad told me and not an iota less. "I'm an agent of SEELE, sent here without a clue." I say, not bothering to hide my exteme annoyance at being thrown into this giant monster nonsense blind.

"I'm also the 'hero' of the Second Impact event at Amity, though I'm told you guys call it the Gomorrah incident." I add, trying to cut back on the sarcasm. I'm not sure, but I think I see the man's brow crease, even through the gloom.

Either way, my answer seems to satisfy mister good cop. He puts his inscrutable little smine back on and turns back toward the window, presumably to think on what I just said. Said window incidentally has its blinders on the 'moody Noir detective office' setting.

About a minute later, I hear him sigh deeply. He turns back toward me and I look him in the face. Backlit by the aforementioned blindered windows he looks even older then he probably is. "I'm doctor Fuyutsuki." He says to me in English, in a very British accent. "I try and help Commander Ikari run NERV and migitate his admittedly extreme measures."

I keep my jaw wired shut and nod stiffly. Fuyutsuki returns the nod, eyes closed, and continues. "This city, this Geofront is where we keep mankind from having to suffer a Third Impact. It is a grueling job, I assume you realize." His kind voice carries an undertone of bitterness. "Sometimes, sacrifices are genuinely necessary. Please keep that in mind as you pass judgement on us."

He steps forward, beyond the invisible line drawn by Ikari's desk, frowning deeply.

"You must however keep one thing in mind." He says quietly, without any malice. "If you interfere with our operations and make it more difficult for us to do our jobs..."

He pauses and exhales sharply. "...Ethical grey areas included..."

I clamp my jaw shut. I want to shut him up, tell him where he can stick his grey areas, but he'll see soon enough.

"...Then you are endangering Earth and humanity's very survival and will be punished accordingly." The grave tone in his voice is accentuated by the British accent. This subtle bastard knows a thing or two about gravitas. Good cop my ass.

I frown at him, but nod slowly. "I don't want humanity and Earth suffering another mass exctinction event." Involuntarily, my brow falls into a scowl and emotions kept at the back of my throat well up. "More then just not wanting," I correct myself, "There won't be a Third Impact! Not while I'm here to stop it!" I half shout.

Fuyutsuki chuckles heartily and turns away again. "Big words, but I like the sentiment." He says into the stale air. "I hope Ikari gets here soon." He adds in a lower tone.

You and me both, old man. You and me both.

Shinji

I'm all but shoved into a dressing room by someone who looks almost as confused and panicked as I am. Not their fault, obviously. I wouldn't think a fourteen-year-old kid would be anyone's salvation either.

I'm told to put on what looks and feels like a rubber diving suit, complete with (apparently neuro-conductive) hair clips. I'm told to clamber into a large white tube and sit on the big metal pilot's chair.

These things I do without question, because these are smart people and they know what they're doing, even it seems to me... even if it would seem to the average person, that this entire situation is completely absurt... But I do what has to be done to try and help save the city. Can't really do much more.

So now I'm seated on the big metal pilot's chair in the large white tube known as the 'entry plug'. I'm guessing this is the part that goes into the giant robot. _'...Artificial human'_. I remember the half-insane scientist woman's ramblings and frown. Daniel, you better not break your promise.

I've kept my panic under control so far. But now thick, sticky orange fluid starts leaking into the entry plug from holes in the plug wall. I manage to resist the desire to jump off the chair and clamber onto the backrest to escape the warm, metallic-smelling liquid lapping at my thighs.

What the hell are these people doing? Is there a malfunction? Is this machine oil or something Is it going to drown me? I shout out in a panic, a garbled squeak that sounds more like 'Eeep, a mouse!' then anything manly.

Doctor Akagi's voice reverberates through the entry plug to answer my childish squeal."What you're seeing is LCL." She clarifies. "It's a hyper-oxygenated liquid that provides the pilot with the ideal enviroment for life. It is a shock absorbent, a-"

"Pardon, doctor Akagi..."

Normally, I am not comfortable interrupting my elders, but I remembered what Daniel said. None of this makes any sense. This entire city is _insane_.

But that doesn't matter right now because apparently I'm what they need.

And I will do my job. I will obey orders and do what I'm told today.

Because it's what has to be done. And maybe I can be Shinji again tomorrow. Maybe I can be scared again tomorrow. Maybe I can understand what the fuck- pardon... is going on tomorrow.

But today I have a job to do.

"Sorry to interrupt, but I need to know: 'hyper-oxygenated' means I'm supposed to just breathe it, yes?"

"Yes, Shinji." I can all but hear her smile at me though the radio.

"Don't worry. Take slow, controlled breaths. Every human spent their first nine months breathing liquid and the LCL is literally made for this task."

Technically true. The best kind of true. I choose not to remark to doctor Akagi that human children also have their umbilical cord to act as a snorkel during those first nine months, nor do I choose to remark that they might as well have called this stuff amniotic fluid. At least its presence in the entry plug helps explain the rubber suit.

Instead of arguing, I breathe in, then out, slowly. I'm trying trying to fill my blood and muscles with as much air as I can. I've had a few panic attacks when I was a kid. My Aunt taught me a breathing exercise. Wasn't always useful, but now it certainly comes in handy.

When the amniot- er, fine, LCL is up to my lips, I breathe out through my nose, slowly, eyes closed, then I slouch in my chair so that my mouth and nose are completely submerged and I slowly breathe in...

Only when my lungs are completely expanded do I allow my self to cough, and cough I do, into the syrupy, bloodlike soup of life.

Outside the purple Evangelion, technicians are busy thawing it out of cold storage.

Evangelions are stored in a freezer for two reasons. One, the artifical human's biologial components start rotting if left uncooled for too long. Two, active Evangelions are dangerous things, so it's best to minimize the amount of time needed for them to be up and mobile.

"You are about to be launched by magnetic catapult up to the surface. Once there, you will need to fight the Angel." Ritsuko Akagi says to me in her best attempt at a 'giving orders' voice.

Her fear that this will all go horribly wrong does seep through, though... I frown. As a soldier, as a responsible person, as the person who's gonna try to save this crazy person's life... It's my job to reassure her, isn't it?

"I will do my best, thank you for your help." ...Is what I_ would_ have said. But I'm underwater (or what passes for water) so no sound comes out. I try and palm my face in embarassed frustration.

And then I feel it.

I move my arm up, to palm my face again and... Oh wow. The Evangelion's arm just twitched. "Feels like I have two bodies... what is this?" I ask, again without sound.

"Your mind is sychronizing with the Evangelion, at a ratio higher then what I expected. Doctor Akagi sounds pleasantly suprised. "In layman's terms, your intuitive motions contro the..." The blond scientist stops herself. I hear a frustrated sigh. "Er, in_ real _layman's terms: Yes, the Evangelion is for all intents and purposes a second body for you now."

"Also, we can hear what you're trying to say. When you try to talk, the computer picks it up and talks for you. Nothing fancy, paralyzed peple have been able to do it for years." She says with a hint of pride in her voice. Good, that seems to have gotten her mind off the Kaiju outside for the moment. I give her a big smile and nod in thanks. They probably have cameras in this thing anyway, so she can probably see the gesture no problem.

One point for Soldier Shinji and we're not even out of the gate yet.

I try and focus on the Evangelion body outside my own to prepare for... what was it Akagi said again? Something about magnets? The sensation of having limbs the size of office buildings completely overwhelms my senses.

There's a comforting glow at the back of my head and apparently my mind alone is able to move around a giant 'artificial human' body. Which would explain the electroconductive properties of the plugsuit and the hair clips, I suppose.

A fist larger then a car squeezes shut. I feel a gigantic forearm tense up as I clench my fist... I see lights glitter in front of my eyes. It looks like a rainbow and gives me one hell of a headache. It's like staring into the sun... Ack... After a few painful moments, my mind-body adjusts and I am looking out the Eva's eyes... It's a wider field of view... In infrared and ultraviolet and... oh wow this is very impressive... And it feels like second nature already.

And then it hits me... Well of _course_ it would feel natural. This 'artificial human' has a memory, and that's why it feels like I've done this all a thousand times before.

I swallow some of the briny fluid in a gulp. Well... This is not scary at all. Nope, just another asset Soldier Shinji can use to beat that Kaiju to death. Not existentially horrifying at all...

Suddenly, my Evangelion body is locked in place by... bolts? My train of thought is obliterated when I'm suddenly up to the surface at tremendous speeds. The feeling of having control over an Evangelion distracted me from Ritsuko's warning that I would be _shot toward the surface by catapult_.

So I am not prepared for the shock of sudden acceleration, amplified by the huge body I am now controlling. I squeak in suprise and panic again, unvocalized but certainly heard as I shoot up to the surface of Tokyo-3. Steel panels fly by as I rocket up the elevator shaft.

A memory at the back of my head fires. "Five, four, three, two, one... Thunderbirds are go..." A giant red rocket and marionettes...

The presence at the back of my head seems to twist and poof, the memory's gone...

As the rapid transit system comes to a sudden stop and the bolts unlock, I'm still too overwhelmed to wonder... Where the hell is Misato?

What I _am_ able to think about, if only barely, is that I have to kill a giant monster. For most kids, this would be a childhood fantasy come true. Minus the smell of blood up my nose and the vertigo from the sensory dissonance, of course. I, however, have a problem when it comes to fighting stuff. Psychologically, I mean.

As a kid, I never had the experience of being 'stronger then X.' Except maybe animals, but I'm not going to hurt little animals to try and feel big. For Shinji Ikari, 'fight' has come to mean 'loss'.

I'm a smart kid prone to introspection, so I know that life has taught me to fear conflict, especially combat. But I have a duty I need to fulfill, so if I had to, I'd push through my fear and go insane with fear and rage if I had to...

I wonder what that Kaiju would do if a... what's the word... a berserker... a rage-warrior, came at it inside a sixty-foot metal monster. That would be an interesting thing to experience, and overall a nice way to die. But that's not plan A today.

Because I am trying so hard to focus on the words 'duty, for now' I've managed to synchronize with the Eva far better then I perhaps otherwise would have. So giving into my panic and fighting like a cornered rat is now officially plan B.

Plan A involves the Evangelion's mind-body, its experience and instincts. I can feel its anger, and something else... almost between that giant body and me... a cold fury. So there's fear-anger, hunger-anger and calculating anger all inside this giant purple monster that made even Daniel flinch.

I intend to discard what my body knows about fighting, instead focusing on those other presences to learn from them. The giant monster that I can feel in every muscle... the desire to beat and bash and slash... And the thing that sees, that calculates attack vectors... I'll let their instincts take charge, especially the second one. I'll focus as hard as I can on fighting _smart_.

Or if that goes wrong, I'll just go mad and fight stupid.

The Angel Sachiel steps into my field of view. I jerk my head an inch.. or, well, a few feet... to the side and size it up. We're about the same height, and have the same lanky build. ...We'll be wading through buildings... Oh god...

I try and take a step forward, my (Evangelion) foot lands wrong and I fall on my face.

Time slows. I feel my Evangelion body hit the (literal) deck. Asphalt scatters and concrete cracks. I feel a sting of pain on my face.

My_ real_ face. My lip... ow! My upper lip is torn. How did_ that _happen? I feel that Unit 01 is hurt in the same spot, but a little worse then me, despite the armor.

"Your mental synchronization with Unit 01 means that if the Evangelion is damaged, you will suffer psychostigmatic injuries." Doctor Akagi adds out of the blue, startling me a little.

Doesn't she mean psychosomatic... Wait, _what_?

"Say again?"

A groan of annoyance from Akagi. "If the Evangelion gets hurt, so will you."

Yeah, I thought that was was she said...

"Eh, yeah, thanks..."

Oh god, I'm not even safe inside the giant robot... Artificial Human. Robots don't have tendons, and I can feel Unit 01's tendons flex as I try and push myself up from the street.

By this point, evening has fallen and the sky is orange-red. A shadow falls over Unit 01. I look up through the Evangelion's eyes at the source of the shadow that's fallen over me and see the Angel Sachiel walking toward me.

I shiver in fear. I've got someone's _attention_. I'm in a new body, with hundreds of people counting on me, and all I can think of is a handful of memories where someone took notice of me and beat me up for whatever stupid reason bullies have.

I generally prefer to avoid attention... I hate being in the spotlight. Still, I've gotta defend myself, I suppose. I'm stuck in this position anyway, so I might as well give it a try. They've built the Eva, and they think I can do it, so...

Hm, Eva. good abbreviation, I'm keeping it.

Then something _clicks_. My body's fears are replaced with Unit-01's near endless _anger_.

My body shakily stumbles to its feet. The presence at the back of my head is cold as ice, looking through my eyes. Unit 01 huffs a challenge at the Angel, lifting its head out of the Angel's shadow. The the sun's orange light shines into my eyes and I realize: I'm standing up!

YES! It's working! The Eva will sort itself out. All I have to do is stay focused on the-

WHAM.

It all goes white for a moment. Then black. Biological and synthetic systems recalibrate and my vision returns.

My jaw, my real jaw just suffered a hairline fracture. Evangelion Unit 01's jaw pretty much got shattered by Sachiel's uppercut. The pain is dazed by a mix of adrenaline, willpower and an injection of combat stimulants, but the momentary dizziness causes me to fall backward onto and into a not-completely-empty building. Images are captured by the cold presence at the back of my head, but are kept in reserve. The beast wouldn't care and the child is busy suffering.

Unaware that the Angel punched me into someone's home, I shift my weight and jump back up, only to have my shoulder pieced by a lance of pink, liquid light. I can feel the searing plasma boil through the sinew around my Evangelion shoulder joint. My real shoulder is similairly hurt. My vision narrows, I see a tunnel of black form around my eyes.

And my Evangelion's vision is briefly replaced with a short string of... pictures, impressions... that flew across my field of view just moments ago.

A building's façade, the Eva's giant purple face reflected in all the windows.

Shattered concrete, rebar and glass.

Flying furniture, water and gas bursting from hoses, cables snapping.

A little girl, an old woman, a young married couple, a cat and its owner, a bunch of people...

All falling, covered in rubble, knocked into the back wall or... oh god...

I can feel my hand grip the side of a parking garage to arrest my fall and I come to a conclusion.

This monster has to die. It won't be hard to kill it. Not for my body, my mind or my soul. I can see Sachiel rear back for another punch. I don't panic. The images are in my head, clear as glass.

I move, with reflexes my real body doesn't have and a strength that can tear apart skyscrapers. No thought in it, nor any fear. This is a new body, not burdened by Shinji Ikari's learned response, but instead gifted with implanted targeting computers.

I catch its claw in my hands, inches from my face. I feel my forearms take the shock, and I see a different kind of shock from Sachiel as its expressionless mask tilts sideways a fraction. It's suprised.

"First time for everything..." I quip voicelessly, without really meaning to verbalize, but I can hear Ritsuko chuckle over the radio. Behind her, I hear cheering. I can't help but smile a little despite the pain.

Sachiel suddenly yanks its arm back, but I'm still holding on, or at least straining to.

Whoa, this guy is even stronger then expected! Unit 01 stumbles forward, struggling to find grip on the city streets as the Angel tries to yank its arm free.

I don't track its other arm. Rookie mistake. He bonks me over the head with it and despite my best efforts my vision goes black again.


End file.
